A Cut Above the Rest
by PieceOfShit96
Summary: The story of Cutter and Eve's romance. Before HOTC, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

Cutter wandered into the small bar. He was exhausted after a day of work and just wanted a drink.

"Whiskey sour, rocks." He ordered, sighing. He rubbed a hand over his bald head. He was tired. Damn, he was tired.

"Hey, sweetie. You look like you could use some cheering up." He heard a voice purring at him.

He turned to her and smirked widely. A beautiful blonde woman stood before him. Long hair with what looked like pearls inserted into the strands cascaded down her back. She wore a slinky red dress and high heels, almost making her taller than him. She was sturdy, but not large by any means. She was gorgeous.

She ran her hands over his scraggly beard, tickling the underside of his chin with her long fingernails- fake, acrylic, but they made him shudder. "Like what you see, sweetie?"

"A...ahhh..." He laughed. "Well, if I'm seein' what I think I'm seein'...I like the looks, but what's the cost?" He sipped his drink.

"For you, baby, I'll waive a fee. I'm off the clock tonight." She winked at him.

"Right. You women always have a price."

Her smile faded. "Well, now. If you're really gunnin' for a charge that can be arranged. But just because I sell my love doesn't mean I can't give it out if I don't want to."

"Hm. I ain't gunnin' for a charge. But what's got you intrigued?"

She smirked. "You just...caught my eye. Is that too odd for you to understand?"

He sipped at his drink again. "No. I suppose that's reason enough."

"You know what you can do for me?"

"What's that?"

"You can put a song on that jukebox and dance with me." She smiled. A genuine smile. Not one meant to sell her body or to convince him to buy a larger package, but a genuine smile that lit up her eyes and wrinkled her nose.

"Hm. Like that smile of yours. I'll play that song if I can see it again."

"You're a cutie. What's your name?"

"John."

"Well, John. I'm Eve."

"Pleasure." He smirked over his shoulder.

He deposited two nickels into the machine, and picked a song he knew well enough to dance to. He waited a moment for it to start playing, then grabbed her by the hand, spinning her.

She giggled and spun with him, wriggling seductively in that dress, licking her lips as she looked at him.

Now, he certainly wasn't the best dancer, but he had fun at whatever he did. He laughed with her as they danced together. Playing song after song until they were both exhausted.

They were the only ones dancing in that dingey bar, but they didn't care. They were having fun, and it felt good.

It felt even better when she sat down beside him in the front seat of his car and damn near sucked the soul out of him.

He gripped the steering wheel, lying his head against the seat and moaning.

"O...Oh, god..."

Finally, she sat up. "If you like that, there's more where that came from." She smirked, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

He drove to his house, creeping up into his bedroom so as to not wake his brother up, and pulled her into bed with him.

They writhed against each other that night, he lost count how many times, but god, was it good. It felt so good to have someone against him like that, and not have paid for it, but for it to have happened organically.

She gathered up her clothes and scurried for the door.

"Wait."

She whirled on her heels to turn and look at him.

"You don't have to leave."

"But-"

"Stay. Even just for a little while. It's dark outside. How're you gonna get home? Do you even know where you are?"

"I...Well...Kind of...I can walk."

"Just stay a bit. Right here." He pat the bed beside him.

"A...Alright...I suppose you're not a client."

"No, I'm not, remember? Or you wouldn't have been out of here without cash in your hands."

She hesitantly lay beside him, squeaking as he pulled her against her.

"What? Gotta pay extra for me to hold a beautiful woman?"

She felt her face get red. She was glad her back was to him. "That's part of the boyfriend package. If you upgrade to the husband package, I'll even start a pointless argument with you over whether or not you left the toilet seat up last night."

He laughed, and the sound warmed her heart. Shit, she couldn't do this. Men were just toys; instruments for her monetary gain and nothing more. She wanted a little pleasure sex once in a while. Sex she could actually enjoy and not have to worry about pleasing the other.

This man would be her guilty pleasure. Her chocolate stashed under her bedside at night. No one had to know. It was just pleasure sex. Sex that she controlled and could dictate what she wanted, not just what they wanted.

"You're breathin' awful heavy there, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry..."

"If you ain't comfortable, you can go ahead and leave. I just thought it would be better for you to stay a while. If only till the sun comes out."

"Alright...Alright." She relaxed slightly. Those big arms around her were warm and seemed safe. She just hoped she wouldn't let herself get too comfortable in them.


	2. Chapter 2

Eve sought solace in John's arms night after night.

Her home life was shit, for the most part. She had two boys that were growing like bad weeds, but they were the sweetest thing on this earth. Rufus Jr, or RJ, was only 6 and he was almost as tall as she was. He was an absolute sweet heart, though. Every morning he would make her breakfast before he went off to school and packed her a little lunch. Usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a note written how much he loved her.

Tiny was the same, an absolute sweetheart. He was five, and was almost as tall as Rufus. He was mute, but he was a loving soul. He always wanted a hug as soon as she walked in the door, and she was always more than happy to oblige.

But Earl, her man, was a different story. He was a towering fellow with a bad temper. He never actually hit her, but he threatened her enough to the point where he might as well have to get it over with. She hated him. He sat at home most of the time, doing little experiments with his friend, Dr. Quentin Quale. Earl's words were as sharp as a knife, and he belittled her like it was his job. She knew deep down he was hurting, too. That he hated that he couldn't provide for them as he should, because of his deformities. It was hard for him to get a job, and the odd jobs he did with Quale weren't cutting it.

They were piss poor, and she felt trapped.

So she stayed with John most nights after her rounds were made. Those big strong arms around her and the gruff scraggly beard at the back of her neck began to mean safety. Her heart began to flutter at any mention of his name around town- he was a local celebrity, Captain Spaulding, and she heard it often enough. She was secretly his. No matter how many other men she had that night, no matter how many other hands touched her, she was his when it came down to the end of a night.

So, when the accident happened, it only made sense who she came running to.

She was upset that night, he could tell. He kept pressing and pressing, thinking he had done something wrong. He had picked her up on the corner she frequented, a bouquet of flowers in hand. She had offered a small smile, but nothing like he had expected from the other small gifts he had given her. She had fawned and fawned over them until he thought he would vomit. But these, she just smiled and thanked him. He had bought her favorites- big pink fluffy carnations. He knew they were her favorites. She had told him only about 100 times.

"Eve...Come on, sweetums, talk to me. You ain't you tonight."

She looked up at him, big blue eyes filled with tears. "John...John...I..."

He stroked her hair with one big paw-like hand, waiting for her to speak.

"I...S...something terrible happened..."

"What? What happened?"

"L...Last night...Earl..." She hesitated. Cutter's lip curled at the name. He knew that man treated her like shit. And he hated him for it. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she stayed with that towering mongrel. "Earl just...just up and went devil on us..."

"What do you mean?"

"He...he said the house was possessed by spirits or somethin'...I...I tried to stop him...Tiny...Tiny was sleepin' in the basement..."

John's eyes widened. Something had happened to her mute son.

"He...he doused the basement in gasoline...i...including Tiny...I...I had never heard my little boy scream before...e...except when he was real little, you know...cryin' but...but John...Oh, John he screamed..." Tears poured down her face. She shook her head, trying desperately not to sob. Men didn't like it when you sobbed. You had to cry gracefully.

"Is...Is he alright?"

She shook her head. "I...I don't know...I...I ain't been home since...I...I been workin' at the diner and then out on the streets...Dr. Quale was takin' care of him..."

"That batshit surgeon?!"

She nodded. "He and Earl are good friends...I...I just can't imagine what Tiny is goin' through..."

"Eve, you need to get the fuck out of there."

"I live there...It's my daddy's house! It's mine by right! I ain't leavin' my daddy there with that crazy bastard..."

"What about your kids?"

"I'm going to make him leave. Don't you worry. He's gonna be gone."

"You need to go check on your son. I'll be here waiting for you whenever you come back, darlin' girl." He kissed her forehead. "But you need to go be there with him."

"John...You're so good of a man..."

"I'm nowhere near what you deserve, pumpkin." He kissed her and sent her on her way.

He didn't see her for two days until she came back to the corner he knew to pick her up at. She seemed upset again, pensive.

"What's wrong, pretty mama?"

"Tiny was very, very badly burned...He's...He's gonna make it...But my baby boy is in so much pain...Quale is takin' care of him...He's keepin' him on lots of drugs to keep the pain at bay...but...But I just...The whole house smells like burnin' flesh...And little RJ is so scared..."

"Eve..."

She stepped aside to reveal her son standing behind her. He was a gorgeous little boy. Well...not so little, but his brown eyes shone in the street light and he smiled sweetly at Cutter. "H...hello, sir."

John smiled, shaking his head. This woman was going to be the death of him.

"Well, come on then. Hop on in. We'll go to my place for a little bit."

They both got in the car and drove to his home.

"Hey...uh...Eve...He...he been with you all night?"

"Yeah...He's been readin' or something. He ain't been watchin'. He's used to it."

Cutter shook his head. "Alright..." He held her, letting her curl up to his chest like she liked to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Cutter sat at the bar after the incident with Eve. He was somewhat shaken. He had no idea what she was going to do. She couldn't get him out of her house. That was certain. But she couldn't leave, either. Her elderly father still lived in that house, and there was no way she would leave her family home.

"Some fucker by the name of JOHN in here?!" A huge man swaggered through the door. He didn't look real. He looked deformed and grotesque. He knew it was Eve's boyfriend, Earl.

"Uh, yeah. That'd be me." He stood, smirking. "And what is it I can do for you, son?"

"You been fuckin' my girl."

"Well, you see. Lots of men have. That's part of what being a prostitute is. I don't know how much of an educated man you are, but you seem to not be. Do you want to sit down and I'll tell you about all you need to know?"

"Fuck you!" The larger man swung at Cutter. He reared back to avoid the blow. "You been havin' her at your place every night. You ain't been payin' her! You been just sleepin' with her for free!"

"Well, I'll tell you what skeet king. Maybe you start treatin' your woman right she won't have to come crawlin' into my bed for some lovin', yeah? Or maybe you're just too much a fuckin' coward and you don't know what treatin' a woman right means."

He growled, glaring down at him.

"What? You wanna hit me? Go ahead. Long as you don't fuckin' hit her! I know what you did to her boy, you crazy ass mother fucker! You fuckin' destroyed her. What made that happen, huh? All the alcohol fumes gettin' to your brain? Or are you just that fuckin' stupid?!"

Earl swung and made contact with Cutter's face. He saw stars, stumbling backward a few steps.

"Holy shit..." He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. He swung at the taller man, making solid contact and knocking him back a few feet.

They rolled and tumbled on the ground, grunting and yelling at each other. Finally, two men pulled John away and four pulled Earl away.

"You miserable mother fucker!" Earl screamed as he struggled.

John touched his lip. Pulling his hand away, it was covered in blood. "You son of a bitch..." He muttered.

"You fuckin' clown-ass piece of shit."

"At least I make her laugh!" He yelled at him as he stalked back out of the bar.

He picked up Eve that night, face battered and bruised. He was stiff and sore all over. He had had quite the round with that behemoth.

"Oh, John!" Eve got in the car and took his face in her hands. He flinched back, hissing in pain.

"Careful..."

"John...I can't believe you stood up to him like that..."

"Yeah, well it was either brave or stupid. I ain't decided yet."

"Oh, sweet heart..." She lightly kissed his nose. "You drive on back to your house and I'll get you taken care of, okay?"

He drove into the night, and when they arrived at his home, she led him into his bathroom and sat him down on the side of the tub.

"Ohh, look at your handsome face..." She cooed, lightly brushing a cotton ball doused in alcohol over the cuts and bruises. "What did he do to you..."

"Just threw me around a little. I'm fine. Ah!" He hissed as the rubbed the cotton over his split eyebrow, jerking away.

"Shhh...You're alright...Got a bloody nose..."

"It's fine."

"Oh! here! I have just the thing!" She dug around in her purse and produced a pink wrapper.

"You're kidding me."

She unwrapped it and shoved it into his nostril, the string hanging out the bottom.

"You...You just...You just shoved a tampon into my nose..."

"It'll stop the bleeding. That's for sure!" She laughed.

"Mm. Did you get him out of there yet?"

"I did. This afternoon, he left. I bet that was why he came after you. He was so angry. I made him a deal, though."

"Oh, god..."

"I said we would still protect he and Quentin. They're doin' all kinds of experiments down there, John...It ain't right, but it's for the better of humanity. At least that's what they say..."

"Hm. You're too generous of a woman. You're gonna get yourself real hurt some day doin' that, Eve."

She kissed him lightly, smiling. "Yeah, maybe. But what I get stung with is worth the honey I get from the bees."

He shook his head, chuckling. "You're somethin' else, woman."

"John...Will...Can we..."

"Eve..."

"What...?"

"I think you'd better focus on yourself for this moment. I'll always be here. You can always come. But those titles...I think you'd better take a break on for a minute. We can continue this...this little whirlwind we have here, but I don't want you to jump into something because you feel like you need a man to feel special."

"I know what I want, John. I always have and always will. I want you."

"Eve. You've got me for a while now." He smirked. "In case you haven't noticed."

She smiled. "Boy, you are nothin' but a big teddy bear, aren't you?"

He growled playfully, pulling her against him.


	4. Chapter 4

John and Eve's lack of titles didn't last long. She was at his house almost every night for a month until he started coming over to her's. He knew she had children she had to care for, and it wasn't right to take her away from them.

"John...?" She said, stroking circles in his chest absentmindedly with her finger.

"Yes, Christmas Eve?"

She smiled at the nickname. "Will you come live here? With me?"

He considered it for a moment. "Yeah...Yeah, I can do that. I'm gonna keep my house though. Never know when shit'll go bad."

A look of hurt crossed her face.

"I'm not talkin' between us. I'm talkin' somethin' breaks or some shit and we need a place for a minute."

"Oh...Alright. That makes sense."

"I want you to quit whorin', though."

She flinched back at the term.

"I can keep us afloat for a while till you get yourself another job. You don't need to sell yourself, sweet girl. You're worth so much more than that, don't you know?"

She kissed his nose. "You're so sweet, Johnny...Alright...I'll look for a job. Store clerk or somethin'. And I'll quit whorin'."

"That's my girl..."

"Am I, John?"

"Course you are. Are you talkin' about that damn title again? Yes, your my girlfriend but ain't that juvenile? You're my woman...And...And I love you."

"I love you too, you big cuddle bug you!" She snuggled into him.

It wasn't long until she flirted her way into a job at a grocery store bagging groceries, and another job at a makeup counter in the department store in town. Cutter was extremely proud of her, working for her money in a much less dangerous fashion, and being able to be home with her children.

They were gonna need that money real quick.

"John...?" She approached him one morning, worry painted across her face.

"What'sa matter, baby?" He rolled to face her.

"I...I'm pregnant."

"Wh...You're what?"

"I'm pregnant."

He stared blankly into space, his mind whirling.

"We're gonna have a baby, John."

"Eve..."

"I have all I need...I...I just...I just need diapers and food, that's all. We have everything...I...I've got two kids, John. I have all that I need..."

"Okay, okay..." He sat up, taking her into his arms and then drawing back to face her. "We're gonna have a baby..." He let a smile grow across his face.

"We're gonna have a baby." She nodded, smiling back at him.

"I'm gonna be a Daddy..."

She giggled. "You're gonna be a Daddy."

They both screamed and jumped up and down, terribly excited.

Rufus came to the door of their bedroom, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "You okay, mommy...? What's happenin'?"

"Rufus, you're gonna be a big brother again!"

"Huh?"

"We're havin' another baby, Rufus!"

"Really?!" His eyes lit up. "Mommy! Am I gonna get a little brother or a little sister?!"

"We don't know yet, sweetie. It's too early to tell. But as soon as we know, you will, okay?"

"I'm so excited! I'm gonna go tell Tiny!" He sprinted off into the house.

Eve rested her head on Cutter's shoulder, and her hand on his chest, sighing contentedly.

"We're gonna be a family..." She smiled dreamily.

"Yes, we are..." He kissed her head.

Rufus was extremely loving, often talking to the baby, head laid on his mother's stomach as she sat in Cutter's arms.

"And I'm gonna love you...and I'm gonna teach you everything! I promise!"

Eve stroked Rufus's long brown hair as he cooed at the baby.

Tiny was extremely careful with his mother, trying desperately not to hurt her in his clumsiness he often had. Combined with still recovering form his ordeal, he mainly stayed away from her, admiring from afar.

John's large bear-like hands often rested lovingly on her stomach, stroking the distended flesh with his thumb and smiling softly. He had everything; a beautiful girlfriend who was healthy and happy, a nice home, two 'sons' he loved dearly, and another beautiful baby girl on the way. It was perfect.

She worked as long as she possibly could into the pregnancy, which turned out to be the day her water broke. She was standing in the grocery line, bagging, when her water broke all over the store floor. She was extremely embarrassed, and her boss was furious, but it wasn't something she could really help.

Cutter was there through the whole process. Eve seemed disturbingly unshaken; she had been through the process twice before with a man not half as supportive, and she handled it herself. And she handled it well. They named the baby Vera-Ellen. A combination of her mother and his mother's names. She was healthy and screaming from the get-go.

She grew quickly; too quickly for Cutter's liking. He loved that girl more than anything in the world, and he would give anything to slow down time and make her stay little forever. To stay in the moment with Eve as a parent forever. He was truly, truly happy.

"Daddy! Will you be a clown again?"

He laughed. "Yes, sweetie. Daddy's gotta be a clown again today at work!"

"Yayyy!"

Rufus came into their room and scooped her up. She squealed and giggled in protest. "Ruffieee!"

"Come on, sissy. You gotta let dad get dressed! He's gonna be late for work! You don't want him to get into trouble, do you?"

"No..." She sighed.

"Come on. Let's go get some breakfast." Rufus lead her downstairs.

Cutter sighed, applying the clown makeup. How did he get this lucky?


	5. Chapter 5

The whirlwind romance continued for Cutter and Eve. He loved her more than life itself. More than anything. Well...Not more than his little girl, but more than anything else. He was madly in love with her. He had made a life with her. A life he had read about and dreamed about but had never envisioned for himself. Not since his parents dropped him off at that fuckin' orphanage. Not since he had been adopted by Charlie's family. Not since he had moved out on his own. He had never thought he would be worth anything. But here he was; a daddy and a lover.

Eve would never get married. Ever. She had had too many problems in relationships to deal with something as permanent as that. But she was perfectly happy raising her children with this man. She loved him, most of the time. He irritated her to no end on occasion, but at least he loved her and treated her right.

He came home one evening, slightly perplexed.

"What's wrong, John?" She kissed his cheek.

"Kid came in today. Lookin' for a job. He said he could fix things and he could make artwork for my shop..."

"Well, that's good! Isn't it?"

"Yeah...But he's real skittish and weird...Like I raised my voice to him and he got scared for a minute, then he was pure thunder and lightning. I don't know...

"Probably just gotta be that way. Is he on his own?"

"Yeah."

"Probably gotta be that way to survive, you know. the world isn't kind at all. You know that, John."

"Yeah. Especially not to people like him."

"Hm?"

"He...I think he's albino. He's really pale and he's got these red eyes. Theyre real piercing y'know. He kind of weirds me out...It's like he can see into my soul...He's a real hard worker, but I don't think he's had it real good."

"Oh...John...Does...does he have some place to stay?"

"I don't know...I don't think it's real good, if he does."

"We should bring him in...He needs a family...How old is he?"

"I don't know, Eve. I...I think I need to scope him out a little bit more first. Make sure he's like us, y'know. I don't know about him yet. I think he's 23 or 24."

"Poor child..."

"He's real thin, too...I don't think he eats hardly anythin'."

"Awww. He needs some of my good home cookin'! Won't you take some into him?"

"Tried. He turned it down."

"He doesn't want anyone helpin' him. Poor child."

"No...I don't know if he's doin' too good, though."

"Why?"

"He's got a real rank smell comin' off of him, like he's got an infection somewhere. And It's not his clothes or anything- he's not dirty. I don't know..."

"Oh...That's so sad...the poor dear." She pleaded with her eyes.

"I'll see about him, I'll see about him."

A few days passed, Eve asking about Otis every day. Finally, Cutter came home slightly down trodden one night.

"What's wrong?"

"That kid really isn't doing well. He's coughin' somethin' horrible and he ain't gettin' around too well. That limp has gotten real bad. I asked him about it, but he just said he was fine. He passed out a little on me today. I know where he lives. I made him give me his address in case something would happen."

"Oh, John...Can you at least take him some soup tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that."

Otis didn't come to work the next day, and Cutter was extremely worried. He knew it wasn't like the boy to do that; he wouldn't miss work unless he absolutely had to. He drove to the address and drug his sorry ass out. He was passed out in front of his sofa, hardly breathing.

Eve was a mess, sobbing and holding Otis.

"John...John is he gonna make it...?"

"I don't know, Eve..."

"He's so thin...Oh, god...this poor baby..."

"I know...I know...We're doin' all we can. I promise."

"John...He's so bad...He's in such bad shape..."

"He's a fighter. He's a real, real fighter. I bet you he's gonna pull through. I bet you he will."

She sniffed. "You think so?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He told me a little about what he's been through. He's a real strong fighter. A really, really strong fighter."

"What's he been through, John...?"

He sighed. "His parents abused him..."

"Oh, John! No!"

"Yeah...He's gonna pull through, I think. If he can get passed that, he can get through this."

"You think so?"

"Yeah..." He stroked her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. "Especially with you lovin' on him. That heals too, you know."

She smiled hugely up at him as tears still rolled down her face. "I love you..."

"I love you too, sweetie."


	6. Chapter 6

The first time that skinny, quaking albino boy made it down the stairs, Cutter thought he would break.

He had put up quite the bravado working in the shop. But now, he was petrified. Honestly, Cutter thought he would have to be dumb not to be- and he certainly wasn't dumb, by any means. He was in a completely strange environment with strange people all around him. Who knew when and if they would turn on him? He was still sick and hurt; how would he get away, could he fight back?

Baby helped him down the stairs, slowly taking each step with him. "You're still in some pain, huh?"

"Y...yeah..." Cutter heard him murmur.

"It's okay...Why're you shakin' so much...? You're alright...Ain't no one gonna hurt you..."

Otis broke into a coughing fit, and doubled over, relying on Baby to keep him standing.

"Ok...Ok...You alright?" He must have nodded, because Cutter heard him continue down the stairs.

"Baby, what are you doin' havin' that poor boy up and around?!" Eve called

Cutter turned and watched them, now. Otis flinched at the volume of her voice. Cutter knew he didn't like when people raised their voice, and knew that it reminded the younger man of something much more dark...

"He said he wanted to try and go downstairs. I offered to help him and he said yes."

Eve approached them, smiling softly. "Sweetie...Are you feelin' alright enough to be up and around?"

Otis nodded, head down, eyes hidden by the shock of white hair that grew to his shoulders.

He flinched back as Eve moved toward him to hug him. "Oh, sweetie. I'm just gonna give you a big ol' hug. Don't you be scared of me, now." She wrapped him in an embrace. He let out a squeak of fear as she touched him, but quickly settled into the touch. "See? That ain't so bad, huh?" She pulled away from him for an instant, looking him in the face. "You can hug me back! You're allowed!" She pulled him close again, and he wrapped his arms around her, too. "Ohh, there you go, sweet heart." She let him go. "You ain't never been loved in your life, have you?"

Otis bowed his head again, avoiding eye contact.

"You just have a seat next to Baby, then, okay? You just relax and take it all in."

Otis nodded. "Th...thank you..."

"For what? Sweetie, you live here now!" She walked away.

"How ya doin', kid?" Cutter asked.

Otis nodded. "I...I'm okay..."

"You scared the hell out of all of us, y'know. Thought you were a goner for sure."

"S...Sorry..."

"What're you sorry for? Ain't your fault, is it?"

Otis looked away. Baby pushed a mug of tea into his hands. "Here. Drink this."

"Th...thank you..."

"JOHN!" Eve yelled from the kitchen.

Otis began to shake, looking over his shoulder in alarm, wide-eyed.

"Shhh, you're alright. You're alright..." Baby tried to soothe.

"I SAID JOHN!" Eve yelled again.

"I'm comin'! You're scaring the poor kid out of his goddamn skin, Eve!"

"Oh!" She came jogging back into the living room, kneeling in front of Otis on the couch. He inched away, back into the couch, trying to bury himself in the soft fabric. "Shhh...I wasn't yellin' at you..."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He quaked in front of her. Baby reached over and took the mug of tea from him, fearful he would spill it on himself.

She gently reached out and took Otis's face in her hands. He flinched back wildly, bringing his arms up to defend himself. Cutter swore he could hear his heart pounding from where he was sitting. Wait...that was his breathing..."Shhhh...What're you sorry for, sweetheart? You're not in trouble. You didn't do anything." She stroked his cheeks with her thumb. "Calm down sweetie...You didn't do anything...You're fine. I was just askin' John for some help in the kitchen."

Even though he knew he was in deep shit, Cutter couldn't help the way his heart leaped. This woman was incredible. She cared for everyone so deeply and so fully. Weeks ago, she had had no clue who this boy was, and here she was, nurturing him like one of her own.

She stood and smiled, stroking his hair one last time. "You'll be okay, sweetie."

He saw Otis's face redden. There was no hiding when he was embarrassed. He hung his head and still trembled slightly, trying to calm himself down. When he was like this, Cutter knew it was best to leave him alone for a moment to get a handle on himself. Baby seemed to understand, too, and let him be.

Cutter wandered out to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Eve's waist.

"I feel so bad for scaring him..."

"He'll be alright. He needs to get used to it. Can't be so jumpy forever."

"I know...But he's just so scared..."

"He'll be fine. He's a strong man. He'll make it through." He spun her around to face him. "What did you need?"

"I...I just needed some help...I wasn't even mad."

"Ok. Let's get cookin' then." He kissed her. "But you're more appetizing than anything."

She giggled and swatted his chest. "John!"


	7. Chapter 7

Otis began to recover and returned to work at the museum. Cutter and Eve began to fight more and more. It seemed that bringing the sick, injured young man in the house has brought them all together, and now that he was well, their problems came bubbling back to the surface.

"You didn't fucking take the garbage out AGAIN! You fucking ASSHOLE!"

"I..I...I..I'll get it..." Otis began to shake.

"No, sweetie. I asked John to do it. And he fuckin' didn't!"

"I SAID I would LATER God DAMMIT! I fuckin' worked all day, woman!"

Otis stood, frozen between them in fear, head bouncing back and forth as they screamed at each other.

"All you fuckin' do is BITCH at me and FUCKIN' WHINE! I WORK ALL DAY FOR YOUR FUCKIN' ASS WOMAN. I WORK ALL DAY TO KEEP THIS HOUSEHOLD UPRIGHT. I WORK AND WORK AND WORK AND WORK AND YOU DON'T EVEN THANK ME!"

"I THANK YOU PLENTY. WHO DO YOU THINK WAS UNDER THE COVERS LAST NIGHT?!"

Baby came down the stairs, seeing the situation. Tears rolled down her face as she hung her head. She didn't want to see her parents fighting like this. She loved them both too much.

She ran down the rest of the stairs, stepping in between them. "Enough!" She screamed. "I'm tired of seeing you fighting! I can't TAKE it anymore! You're scaring the shit out of Otis and the rest of us are waiting for you to kill each other!" She sobbed hysterically

They looked at each other in bewilderment. Otis trembled in front of them, too scared to move for fear he would gain their attention and their wrath would reign down upon him. Baby took Otis's arm, pulling him out of the middle of the argument.

"It's okay. It's okay."

"I...I...I can take the trash out...I...I can do more! I-"

"No, Otis. Stop...It's not your fault..." Baby sighed. "I'm SO tired of you guys fighting! We all are! Both of you need to stop!"

The fights continued until Eve kicked Cutter out, tossing his bags into the yard and bidding him farewell as he cursed at her, running to his car. Baby sobbed and screamed as Otis held her back, begging for her mother to not make her father leave.

A few days passed, and Baby seemed distraught that she hadn't seen her father.

Cutter was heartbroken. There was his whole life in that house, and he couldn't see her. Couldn't communicate with her. Couldn't know how her day had went. That sweet daughter of his...God, he missed her. Missed her so fuckin much. He desperately wanted to go to the house to see her, but he didn't want to start something with Eve. He was going to try his hardest to get her back, but he knew she needed a few days to cool off.

Otis knocked on Baby's bedroom door. "H...hey..."

"Hi, Otis...Goodmorning."

"Uhm...you...you busy today?"

"No...Why?"

"I...I can take you in to see Cutter. If...If you wanted..."

"Really?! You would do that?!"

Otis nodded. "Y...Yeah. Of course..."

"Ohhh! Otis! Thank you!" She grabbed him and hugged him, pulling his body against hers. He flinched back a bit, but allowed the contact.

He drove her to the shop and walked in with her.

"H...Hey, Cutter?"

"Yeah, kid? What's up?" He walked out into the shop. "BABY!"

"Daddy!" She ran into his arms, giving him a hug.

They met in secret for months, Otis driving baby to the shop while he worked. He had to work harder when she was there, as Cutter became distracted, but he didn't mind. They had done enough for him, he could pick up some slack.

Cutter dove deeply into drugs in the absence of his family. Cocaine, pain pills, alcohol and pot flowed through his veins, taking his mind off of the pain of the possibility of losing his daughter and his family. Eve wasn't relenting. She was tired of Cutter's shit and his laziness around the house. She was tired of the way he took her for granted now, a complete change from the way he had first courted her, winning her with affections with sweetness and kindness unmatched by any man she had ever met. But now, he was a callous, worthless clown who worked at a shop that was falling apart at the seams. He came home, drank, ate, fucked her if he felt like it, and went to sleep. Gone were the affections of long ago, gone like the hair from his head. She longed to feel those sweet touches he used to hand out so freely to her, and hear those sweet words he used to whisper in her ear.

He snorted and drank his money away, staying in the house he had saved for a rough time. Just in case something like this would happen. He had hoped it never would, but here he was.

He still held out hope that Eve would come back to him.

Tired of living alone, he invited Otis over for the evening, having pizza and beer and liquor.

As they drank, Otis began to look more and more appetizing. He hadn't had sex in months and he was absolutely desperate. With that long white hair of his, and how thin he was, he could easily pretend the young man was a woman if he bent him over. The only problem was making him willing.

He continued to joke and laugh, feeding Otis more alcohol as he started to sober up.

It happened so quickly, he wasn't even entirely sure when he was doing it.

As he zipped up his pants, he regretted it. But at least he had scratched an itch.


End file.
